Michael Callahan, a partner in the Health Care practice, was interviewed by  Credentialing & Peer Review Legal Insider for an article on the credentialing issues raised by the spate of lawsuits brought against Intuitive Surgical, Inc., over complications stemming from robotic surgeries performed using Intuitive’s da Vinci Surgical System. The lawsuits, coupled with the increased number of self-filed medical device reports regarding the da Vinci system filed with the FDA, suggest that hospitals may want to review their credentialing procedures and training requirements for new technology. “When you have a device that has been approved, then you need training programs that have been identified, vetted, and reevaluated to make sure they are still keeping up with developments all the time,” said Mr. Callahan. In addition, since hospitals can be responsible for complications associated with robotic surgery and other new technology, he adds, “I would hope a truly informed and objective institutional review board or credentials committee or whoever is evaluating this, through past experience with other devices and protocols, is making its best judgment and also factoring in whatever the manufacturer is telling them, but hardly relying on that exclusively.” (“Quality and Training Issues come to Light Regarding Robotic Surgery,” June 2013)